[BACKEND MEGATHREAD] Laying out a skeleton of the backend REST API server

[ujsquared]

🚀 MEGA-ISSUE Backend REST API for Forum

📌 Description

We need to implement a RESTful backend server for a forum web app. The main entities involved are:
Schema has already been defined in the scaffold by maintainers.

• Users
  Example - https://linustechtips.com/profile/1175755-therealsean/
  Authenticated using Google OAuth

• Topics
  Represents a category under which threads live
  LTT forum uses Topic > Sub-topics. We simplify that to Topic only.

• Threads
  Represents a discussion within a topic
  Example - https://linustechtips.com/topic/1617044-i-built-the-cheapest-self-driving-car/

• Posts
  Represents a message inside a thread
  https://linustechtips.com/topic/1617044-i-built-the-cheapest-self-driving-car/?do=findComment&comment=16761799

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✅ Required Features

• CRUD for Topics, Threads, Posts
• Offset-based pagination on Topics
• Google OAuth authentication for Users (include required tokens/flows for frontend)
• Anonymous post support with moderation (approved flag)
• Upvote / Downvote system on Threads and Posts
• Authenticated routes for creating threads/posts if not anonymous
• Basic user profile endpoints (/me, etc.)

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🔐 Google OAuth Notes

• Use OAuth 2.0 for authentication (Google Sign-In)
• Frontend will need access to:
  • Google Client ID
  • Authorization flow
• Backend will need to:
  • Verify ID tokens
  • Manage session / JWT tokens post-login
  • Store authenticated user in DB if not present

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Instructions for contributors

1. File an issue for the API route or feature you want to implement. Make sure there is no redundant work being done.
2. Describe what your issue addresses.
3. Make the relevant Pull Request.

💬 API Checklist (Maintainers please update this with the needed API routes. Also update whenever an issue is closed and feature is fulfilled.)

User

• /api/v1/user/<userid> - Gives information about the user

Posts

• /api/v1/post/<postid> - Gives information about the user

Thread

• /api/v1/thread/<threadid> - Gives information about the user

Topic

• /api/v1/topic/topicid> - Gives information about the user

Auth

• /api/v1/auth/<callback_url> Authorizes a user after receiving relevant data from OAuth

[iamanishx]

TLDR :

• we wont be using Google js sdk in the frontend for authentication using Google oAuth . There should be a endpoint in the api to handle the aurhentication using Google oAuth .
• After user signup/login afaik this needs to be a single page which will handle both login and signup system but we will have a check like if the user is new then we will redirect him to a page where he can give us additional information abt himself and if the user is not new the simply redirect to the Home page .

so for now 3 routes in the frontend :

• login/signup page (login)
• additional information page (/user-info maybe
• Home page (/home)

In the backend

• /auth
• /auth/google/callback
• /user-info

cc- @neoandmatrix @ujsquared

[neoandmatrix]

we wont be using Google js sdk in the frontend for authentication using Google oAuth . There should be a endpoint in the api to handle the aurhentication using Google oAuth .

Yes , ig we only need react sdk and after successful login we just need to get email id and name from servers of Google and rest details will be filled by user?

This was the flow we had decided iirc.

@iamanishx @ujsquared

[ujsquared]

Yes , ig we only need react sdk and after successful login we just need to get email id and name from servers of Google and rest details will be filled by user?

This was the flow we had decided iirc.

yup, maybe i need a little refresher on how auth works lol. Anyway can you guys start adding routes to the issue description by editing?

[iamanishx]

This was the flow we had decided iirc.

yes !!

[iamanishx]

Anyway can you guys start adding routes to the issue description by editing?

yes sir i will please lemme think of it bit more